City Hall Reporter's Notebook
Board to decide antiques flag issue
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By STEPHANIE M. PETERS Staff Writer - Published: August 17, 2009
The city's aldermen will take up an array of business at tonight's regular meeting of the full board.
Last week, the Charter and Ordinance Committee met with Debby Dubay, owner of Limoges Antiques on Merchants Row, about her request to be able to hang an "antiques" flag outside her store despite the fact that it hangs lower than 7 feet above the ground.
The committee unanimously agreed to change from 7 feet to 5 feet the height requirement in the existing city ordinance governing awnings, shades, flags and signs. Tonight, that motion will be up for approval by the full board.
Charter and Ordinance Committee also voted to hike the entertainment club permit fee from $25 to $50 – another move that will be voted on tonight.
One issue the committee chose not to touch was the existing firearm ordinance. Some aldermen have been mulling the issue of outlawing firearms in city buildings since a man walked into a board meeting more than a year ago wearing a visible sidearm. However, the committee was told that if it enacted such an ordinance it would be superseding state law and chose not to go ahead with the change, according to Chairman Dave Dress.
Also in the aldermen's information packet tonight is a letter from Encore Redevelopment LLC, a Burlington company involved in "the redevelopment of landfills and other environmentally challenged property for renewable energy generation purposes." The company is interested in speaking to the board about the potential for solar energy generation that it sees for the city's old landfill and is proposing an annual $12,000 lease for use of the site, according to the letter.
The aldermen were also sent a copy of a letter to the Vermont State Fair, signed by the city's police chief, fire chief, clerk and treasurer that details a payment schedule for services the city will be providing for next month's event. According to the letter, a $15,700 fair permit is to be paid in full by Sept. 9, while all fire and police protection services are expected to be paid off by Sept. 14, the next business day after closing day for the fair. The schedule comes after the fair carried outstanding bills for last year's bills until this summer.
In other business, City Engineer Evan Pilachowski will be on hand for tonight's meeting to request that the board grant permission for the Department of Public Works commissioner to sign a grant agreement for a pilot study at the water treatment plant.
The city has been working with the state to secure funding for a study investigating various methods and technologies which could be used to "reduce disinfection byproducts in drinking water" and the state has agreed to provide $100,000 – which is expected to be full funding – for the study.
stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com
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